Report: Safety fears sank Google barge plan

A Google barge is seen off of Pier 1 on Treasure Island on Feb. 3, 2014.

A Google barge is seen off of Pier 1 on Treasure Island on Feb. 3, 2014.

Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

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A Google barge is seen off of Pier 1 on Treasure Island on Feb. 3, 2014.

A Google barge is seen off of Pier 1 on Treasure Island on Feb. 3, 2014.

Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Report: Safety fears sank Google barge plan

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If you were wondering what happened to that mysterious Google barge that popped up last year off Treasure Island, the Wall Street Journal has unearthed e-mails that indicate officials thought the vessels weren’t safe enough for the public, leading Google to abandon the project.

In the trove of e-mails, obtained by the Wall Street Journal through a Freedom of Information Act request, Coast Guard officials outlined concerns about fire hazards presented by having large amounts of fuel and other flammable materials on deck at the same time as a large number of people.

“These vessels will have over 5,000 gallons of fuel on the main deck and a substantial amount of combustible material on board,” Robert Gauvin, the Coast Guard’s acting chief of commercial vessel compliance, wrote in a March 2013 e-mail to Google’s contractor heading up the project, Foss Maritime Co.

Foss Maritime told the Coast Guard that no more than 120 people would be on board at a given time, the Wall Street Journal reported, but Gauvin was unconvinced, saying that, should a fire break out, people would be forced to jump overboard.

“I am unaware of any measures you plan to use to actually limit the number of passengers,” Gauvin wrote to Foss Maritime in the same March 2013 e-mail, noting that the company was seeking quick approval. “While I understand there is a sense of urgency, I am concerned that significant work has already been performed without full consent of the Coast Guard.”

Google also reportedly offered to treat National Park Service officials, who were involved because the barge would have operated in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, to a tour of the barge. “They can pick us up in a special Google speed boat,” one official wrote in an e-mail.

The project generated quite a bit of buzz when people first took notice of the four-story behemoth made of shipping containers rising off the shore of Treasure Island last year. The company was tight-lipped for months about what the barge would eventually be, with speculation ranging from a Google Glass store to a floating data center to a giant party boat.

Google was so dead-set on maintaining secrecy about the project that it required some Coast Guard officials to sign non-disclosure agreements.

By January, the mystery barge had worn out its welcome and state regulators told Treasure Island development officials that, unless the vessel was moved, fines would be levied. The barge was eventually shipped out about 80 miles east to Stockton, where it still sits idle.